Link's Dream Land
by Boethas
Summary: The beginnings of the journey to Koholint Island and the discovery of a Nightmare. (Some humour in chapter 1) *CHAPTER 7 UP*
1. Starting off

Link's Dream Land  
  
Disclaimer: All characters, places and names within this story belong to Nintendo (from their Legend of Zelda franchise). None of this belongs to me except my own version of the plot in which this story is written from.  
  
Warning: This was written in the whims of boredom. It has drama AND humour in it. NOT a good mix.  
  
*~*~*  
  
"Yes but you know I'm tired.." moaned 14 year old Link lying on a couch.  
  
Impa replied, "What, the Great Hero of Time is tired?"  
  
Zelda smirked, "Huh all you have to do is kill Moblins and that's it. Do you KNOW how hard it is being a princess?" Zelda extended her arm waving it and looked around at the room they were in. There was a couch next to the wall at the far end where Link was lying on and two other seats next to it in which Impa and Zelda were sitting on. They were in one of the many rooms the Castle had. It had been three years since Link had returned from Termina and he had been wandering saving other lands such as Holodrum and Labrynna.  
  
"Look, you don't wake up everyday wondering if you're going to live or die wondering how many times you'll have to wash your tunic from Moblin blood or if you'll eat at all that day," groaned Link.  
  
Zelda and Impa looked at each other. "Link, you were destined for that kind of life."  
  
"Well what a GREAT life," grunted Link and got up from his couch. "I'll be back soon..." and he walked out of the door.  
  
Zelda sighed, "Impa, what's wrong with him? He usually loves feeling 'alive' as he calls it. He has the blood of a warrior."  
  
"Yes Zelda but......" Impa frowned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"No.....nothing....But it seems....well, haven't you ever wondered why you and Link both have the Triforce on your hands?"  
  
"Because it was our destiny."  
  
"Yes. The Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny. This Castle...your blood...and Link's have a destiny." With that Impa strode out of the room leaving Zelda very confused.  
  
Impa talking nonsense again, thought Zelda. She stood up and looked out of the window. She could see Link walking towards Hyrule Market Town.  
  
*  
  
"Hey Link!" chirped Malon waving at him.  
  
Link stopped and grinned. "Hey Malon, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I came here with my father to deliver some milk but something tells me he fell asleep again."  
  
Link laughed, "Do you want me to find him for you?"  
  
"Why that's just what I was gonna ask you," she grinned.  
  
"Alright." so Link went back towards the Castle. Well they're going to let me in, anyway and I don't feel like just walking... so grinning to himself, Link clambered up the vines , dropped down the hole and carefully walked towards the moat making sure he wasn't seen. He dived into the icy waters and swam until he got to a small ramp. There, as he had predicted, was Talon snoring away. Link walked up to him and prodded the Mario-copy awake.  
  
Talon opened one sleepy eye and saw Link.  
  
Malon may not know it but he's on Shrooms again, Link thought and simply said "Malon" which caused the big lug to leap up and run off flailing his arms all over the place.  
  
"What is up with that dude??" muttered Link. Sighing he took out his ocarina and played the Minuet of the Forest where Saria was sitting on her Stump (as always).  
  
"Jeez, Saria don't you EVER get off that Stump?"  
  
Saria looked up and smiled seeing Link, "I can't Link, I'm stuck."  
  
Link cocked an eyebrow, "Oh really?"  
  
Saria smiled, "Yes Kaepora Gaebora put Super Glue on it and I haven't been able to get off since."  
  
"Riiight....." Link quickly backed away and then suddenly warped to Lake Hylia. Phew, she freaks me out.  
  
Then he heard a voice that chilled him.  
  
"Oh LiiiiiiiIIiiiink!"  
  
"Oh please don't let it be her!" Link turned around and spied Ruto, "crap." He swore under his breath.  
  
Ruto swam up to Link and leapt out of the lake. "Oh Liiink, lets go diving together again!" She was hopping about.  
  
Link rolled his eyes but, having nothing better to do, agreed.  
  
Once in Zora's Domain Ruto dived from her Father's throne room. Link took off his boots and placed them with his sword, shield and other things. Then he dived down after Ruto. After splashing about for two hours Link felt very hungry.  
  
"We've got fish!" offered Ruto.  
  
Link smiled sheepishly, "Your fish is too fresh for my taste. I think I'll go back to the castle now." He collected his things and warped to the Temple of Time where he made his way towards Hyrule Castle. *  
  
Back at the Castle Link sighed and flopped down on the floor. Zelda was walking by when she spotted Link.  
  
"Oh hello there. I'll just leave you and the floor together now...."  
  
Link rolled his eyes and said, "I was tired, ok? This was the first thing I saw so I decided to rest."  
  
"And get trampled on.." smiled Zelda, "So....um what are you doing?"  
  
"Oh I'm just lying on the floor, see? I think you should step back now. Floor's getting jealous."  
  
"Suuure..." Zelda started to walk away when she heard Link's steps behind her. Smiling she turned around a corner and when Link turned around it she leapt at him and tackled him to the ground.  
  
"Uh...owwww," groaned Link.  
  
Zelda shrieked with laughter.  
  
"Okay so what are we having for dinner?" asked Link still on the floor.  
  
Zelda got off him and replied, "Well Impa had to go and do something so I guess it's just us."  
  
"Yup," said Link feeling suddenly sorry for Zelda being ignored by her father and all.  
  
*  
  
"Whooa, that was delicious!" sighed Link licking his lips.  
  
"Yes the cooks make the best roasted cuccos."  
  
Link looked at Zelda and suddenly serious said to her, "Zelda I will be leaving soon."  
  
Zelda dropped her fork. "Wha...but...what..why? Nothing needs to be saved or anything, I haven't had any visions and..."  
  
Link placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her, "I know I know. But I feel so restless and I've heard gossip and people whispering about Ganon coming back to life and....well," Link frowned not knowing how to express himself, "I want to go hone my skills. I've decided to go out to sea to search for adventure and practice."  
  
Zelda was silent. Her eyes had dropped to the floor.  
  
"If Ganon really comes back I don't want to be rusty y'know," grinned Link.  
  
Without warning Zelda stood up and embraced Link in a fierce hug.  
  
Link was taken back and was shocked not knowing what to do. Zelda's head was on his shoulder and her back was heaving so he guessed she must be crying.  
  
Still surprised Link tried to soothe her, "Sssh, Zelda, ssh. What are you crying about? You know I always come back to you," smiled Link trying to cheer her up.  
  
Zelda looked up from her hug and looked at Link through her big glassy eyes.  
  
"Li-link," said Zelda through trembling lips, "remember before you left for Termina?"  
  
Link blinked, what does this have to do with anything? "Why...yes I think so..."  
  
"Well I wasn't sure if you'd come back to me, I wasn't sure. But in the end you did come back to me," Zelda forced a smile through hiccupy sobs, "but-b- but last night I had a vision...a dream about you..." Zelda burst into wild sobs again and laid her head on Link's shoulder once again.  
  
Link had never had much experience with girls and he was very unsure about what to do and he was wondering why Zelda made such a big deal about him going. He never thought Zelda really cared for her. He had always been alone and he figured he would always be alone.  
  
Link looked heavenward and stroked Zelda's hair, "tell me about your dream."  
  
Zelda sat up and looked at Link, her face wet. She sniffed and unsuccessfully tried to wipe her tears away.  
  
"Well......Last night.... I was in a sea of blackness.." She stopped to study Link's reaction. Link remained calm and urged her on.  
  
"And I saw you... A green light emanating from the centre of this blackness...and you were struggling...struggling, with it because it was swallowing you and then..." she swallowed another sob, "you were gone...you had disappeared into that blackness, into that giant nightmare..."  
  
"And then...?" asked Link.  
  
"And that's it. My dream finished." Zelda blinked back the last of her tears.  
  
Link smiled, "Zelda, I assure you nothing will happen to me. You see. I'll leave in two weeks and I'll come back in two weeks." said Link matter-of- factly.  
  
Zelda looked down. How could she explain this feeling of foreboding? She was absolutely terrified of Link going but she knew nothing would change his mind...Stubborn, just like her father... *  
  
"So that was all....?" asked Saria still stuck on her Stump. Link lying on the grass in front of her sighed, "Saria you know I always come back to Hyrule. It's my home."  
  
Saria smiled and bent as far as she possibly could (due to her stickiness on the Stump) to ruffle Link's hair, "Zelda has always had visions but she's always been insecure."  
  
"What do you think, Saria?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"The dream. Do you think, I'm coming back...maybe I'll die..."  
  
Saria looked at Link's sapphire eyes and told him, "Link, with all the powers of the Sage of the Forest that I have, I know you're coming back to Hyrule...."  
  
Link grinned, "Really????"  
  
Saria smiled sadly, "Yes...you will be coming back to Hyrule...but..."  
  
Link leapt up and hugged Saria, "I'll tell Zelda so she won't be so sad!" and ran skipping down the stairs.  
  
But not to us... Saria thought sadly and started playing Saria's Song. Yes, still stuck on her Stump.  
  
*  
  
Link ran up to Zelda who was having breakfast with Impa in the dining room.  
  
Zelda looked up and smiled at seeing Link, "Link!"  
  
Impa glanced at Zelda.  
  
"Zelda!" Link waved and came up to their table, "Guess what Saria told me?"  
  
Zelda grinned remembering all the times he liked keeping her in suspense, "What?"  
  
Link opened his mouth and was about to say something when Impa stood up startling both Link and Zelda.  
  
Impa strode over to Link and looked straight at him. Link didn't flinch.  
  
Zelda looked at Impa and then at Link. "If this is a staring contest..."  
  
Link and Impa both glared at Zelda.  
  
"Okay okay, just saying..." grinned Zelda.  
  
"I just remembered the king wants me to send an errand to Nabooru. I'll be back after dinner, Zelda," Impa bowed and left Link and Zelda alone.  
  
"Well...wasn't that strange?" Zelda broke the silence.  
  
"Mm-hm," mumbled Link.  
  
*  
  
"Your majesty" Link knelt and bowed his head before the King.  
  
"You are Link, my daughter's friend, are you not?" a tall man with dark brown hair sat before Link on a throne covered with gold and jewels. His deep blue eyes stared at Link from under his curly hair and heavy, golden crown.  
  
"Yes, sir," Link replied remembering Zelda had taken him back in time thus no-one had any recollection of Ganon's evil years.  
  
Zelda, standing next to Link, spoke up, "Father, Link and I want to ask you a favour..." *  
  
It had taken some persuading but finally the King had let Link build a ship from the finest wood.  
  
"So, when will you be leaving?" asked Zelda after the ship was almost finished.  
  
Link looked at Zelda, "as soon as I'm finished. In fact in one week."  
  
Zelda bowed her head, her golden locks falling over her face.  
  
Link sighed and dared put his arm around Zelda. "Zelda, don't be sad. We'll see each other again."  
  
Zelda looked up at Link. She picked his hand carefully from her shoulder and walked away.  
  
Link frowned and went back to his ship.  
  
* * * ONE WEEK LATER * * *  
  
The breeze blew through Link's golden bangs as he stared out from his ship, shading his deep-blue eyes from the dazzling sun. Well, this is goodbye Hyrule, I'm finally leaving. He wasn't expecting to say goodbye to anyone. He was going to go off, alone.  
  
Just as he was about to raise the anchor he got a telepathic message from Saria.  
  
Goodbye, Link we will always be friends...always  
  
Link smiled at the thought of his friend Saria. Then he heard his name.  
  
"Link!"  
  
Link turned. 


	2. Goodbye

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Story is.

**A/N: **Takes place immediately after last chapter so read that one first…

If you like Ocarina of Time better, I'm typing up my story "Power, Wisdom and Courage." Meanwhile, this is from Link's Awakening.

*****Reads story. * Aaahhhh! What the hell happened here?! Hmmm, much too sappy chapter ahead. And I'm an anti Zelda/Link shipper…yet here's _this _chapter. Oddness. Well for all of you non-romantic, anti-Link/Zelda shippers, this chapter is relatively short and the next chapter gets better.  "…I swear it by the Triforce." Huzzah!

            "Link!" 

It was Zelda. Her hair was flying out wildly from behind her as she ran as fast as she could trying not to trip over her long, pink dress. She waved her arm quickly as if afraid Link was about to set off at any moment. A grin tugged on Link's mouth automatically and he hopped down from his smallish vessel to greet the desperate princess. Zelda stopped just in front of Link and bent down, hands on her knees, breathing heavily. She gulped down air several times before looking up at Link. He had a hand resting on his hip, as per usual, and was smiling down at her.

            "I though, I thought," gasped Zelda, still tired from the rare exercise, "you had left...I came here…to, to say…I'm sorry and goodbye." She blinked up at Link trying desperately not to burst into tears.

            He smiled warmly. A smile that only he could have, one that held hidden years and secret lives. And it was thus at this point that Zelda threw herself at him sobbing hard.

            "You, you," she sputtered through clenched teeth and tightly shut eyes, "you're…leaving! You're _leaving! You're leaving, you're leaving you're_-"

            "Zelda!" cried Link looking down at the girl that held him in a death grip, "It's all right! I…I'm not going to leave you forever!" He gently pried the blonde princess from his body but held her hands and looked into her sky-blue eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyelashes fluttered wetly.

            "I'm sorry, I'm acting so immaturely…"she said mostly to herself, looking down.            "You're only 14…" said Link.

            "But you and I are much older than that…" she said searching his eyes. She smiled at him as they remembered forbidden pasts together. Link pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear, "I'm coming back, Zelda."

            "But my vision-" she began but was silenced by Link pulling back and holding her firmly by the shoulders, staring into her eyes seriously.

            "I _will _come back, Zelda. I _will _come back. I swear it," he said. 

            "To me, Link? To me?" she asked so quietly that Link thought his heart would break. Yes, his Zelda, his princess. He had never known it until now.

            "To you, Zelda, I will come back. I swear it by the Triforce," Link frowned at his unexpected promise but was startled even more when Zelda gently touched his lips with hers and pulled back with sweet innocence. Her eyes twinkled with more than sadness. One last look and Link clambered into his ship and pulled the anchor, finally, sailing away and leaving a lonely princess on the shore.


	3. The Storm

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Story is.

**A/N: **_Girl With Many Names_: Indeed, I don't know what came over me… Well actually, yes I do. Although I firmly believe that Link and Zelda are siblings (well, not in THIS story, _obviously) _I put that Link/Zelda parting here for a reason. Keep reading and you'll see why… Sorry for the ridiculous shortness of these last two chapters but it's to get the story going. After this, though, things will get more interesting ;)

**Blatant self promotion: **Go read my story "Power, Courage and Wisdom." NOW! You don't have to… It's an Oot Zelda story, by the way… Sooo…If you like this one you MIGHT like the other one. MIGHT. I said MIGHT.**__**

* * * 

            "Godamn rope won't- Ooof!" Link, tugging at a thick rope wedged between a box and the side of the boat, fell on his butt unceremoniously and proceeded to throw insults at no-one in particular. There wasn't anyone there to hear him anyway. Not when he was absolutely lost in the middle of the ocean in his small vessel. "Wish I hadn't lost that compass…" he sighed and sat down miserably, head in hands. "If only the sea weren't so damn big, I could have gotten somewhere already!" He lifted up his arms and frowned up at the cloudless sky as if waiting for some goddess to take pity on him and throw him a map. Or something. But nothing happened, unsurprisingly. Defeated, he glared one last time at the rope before slowly closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

         Link woke up to the darkness of a raging storm in full force. Thunder cashed fiercely all around his little ship making it rock dangerously. He struggled through the rain beating down on him so that he could reach the far end of his boat and fasten the mast properly as it was tipping over. Link squinted through the large drops soaking him into a freezing numbness. _What luck…_he thought bitterly while fighting to keep balance on his feet as the boat lurched darkly forward. In one of those he slipped, banging his head against the side and choking on the water that rapidly filled the vessel. Dimly he saw the mast creaking ominously and tilting slowly over the edge. In a last desperate act, he lunged forward and grasped the wooden pole with slippery, wet hands. He wrapped the fibrous rope around his arm to keep himself from falling and began climbing up. His hair was plastered to his face and his clothes clung to his body heavily. He couldn't see, he couldn't feel, he couldn't breathe… panic welled up inside of him. What now? The storm showed no signs of subsiding. And if his ship couldn't hold…how would he survive? He hadn't seen land in days and he was sure that Hyrule was far, _far_ behind. With nothing else to hold on to, he clung to his courage and waited for the worst. Sure enough a loud rumbling reached his ears before a lightning bolt struck home and knocked Link into unconscious darkness.


	4. Washed up

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Story is.

**A/N: **Finally Link's Awakening! Please keep in mind that I played and finished this game over three years ago so my memory of the game is not that fresh and good. Some things may be different.

* * *

A shadow with eyes. A chilling laughter and a darkness that engulfs all the light. All the light, all the breath of life sucked into a vacuum with no substance. Nothing to hold onto, nothing to see, nothing to feel. A pit of cruel, eternal, slumbering death. 

_It is swallowing him, encompassing him, choking on him. A black frothing eclipsing his emerald light and dissolving his solid essence. And a quiet sob echoing throughout the nothingness. _

* * *

"Divine Wind Fish!"

Cold. He was very cold. Even though he felt the sun's rays licking at his skin mercilessly.

He _felt? _

Yes. There was that unceasing prickling heat all over. But Goddess, was he freezing! Yet there was darkness all around. He wouldn't open his eyes. Better not think, better _feel. _Yes.

Something was touching his forehead. Hands, that was it.

"He's burning up…"

And hands lingering on his face. Soft, caring and thoughtful. Fingers tracing his jaw line, his nose, his eyebrows, slowly and wonderingly. Link sighed contented. There was a gasp and the touch withdrew abruptly, leaving a cold space in between. A seagull screeched overhead. 

"I'll…" said the owner of the hands. Then a rustling of cloth and a flurry of steps darting away on the soft sandy floor. Then…nothing.

* * *

            A flutter of eyelashes and cobalt eyes appeared, moving blearily around. Someone was snoring loudly and another figure sitting nearby stirred.

            "Look! He's awake! Tarin! _Tarin_! Wake _up_, you!" said a familiar voice. The snoring stopped with a startled snort, "Wha- what?"

            He was in a room. A strange room at that; he had never seen it before. Link turned his head slowly to his left to the source of the voices. A middle-aged man with a red, bulbous nose sat at the far side of the room staring wide-eyed at him. But next to the bed he was lying on was a young woman. A girl with a familiar, gentle face.

            "Zelda?"

            The girl's mouth widened into a smile, looking at Link in awe. "Zelda?" she said, tasting the new name in her mouth, "I'm not Zelda! My name's Marin! I thought you would _never _wake up! You were tossing and turning…"

            Link blinked slowly. Not Zelda. Marin. Who was Marin? She looked like Zelda… but Zelda didn't have auburn coloured hair. Nor did she wear summery blue dresses and sandals. Or a large pink flower in her hair, for that matter. But where _was _he? He remembered….the fierce storm. And…darkness. Nothing else.

            "Where-" Link said, finding his voice. The girl drew closer to him and the fat man shrank farther away.

            "I found you washed up on the shore," said Marin excitedly, "but you had a terrible fever! You've been in bed for over a week! Tarin, over there, and I took care of you! You're on Koholint Island, by the way."

            Link stared back up at the ceiling. _Washed up on the shore. Terrible fever. Koholint Island. …So, I survived…_

            "But," and here the girl blushed crimson, "who are you? We've never seen anyone from outside Koholint Island. No-one has ever visited these shores, we've known only this island all our lives."

            "Link. I'm Link," tired and confused he began nodding off.

            "Link… Link, got to sleep. You have to recover fully otherwise you might fall ill again," said Marin and as an afterthought, "Sweet dreams."

* * *

            When Link woke up again he was alone. It was also daytime. He managed to sit up, wincing at a sharp pain in his left arm. He rolled his sleeves up and saw ugly red marks twisting around his arm. What..? The rope, of course. He thought about it a while before coming to the conclusion that he survived because he had been tied to the mast which had to have kept him afloat and thus keeping him from drowning until he washed up on this island. Koholint Island. Well, this was what he wanted, wasn't it? To go somewhere else and leave Hyrule behind. For a while at least, right? But something felt…_not _right. An unspeakable darkness haunted his dreams… his nightmares. Shrugging it off, he swung his legs carefully over the edge of the bed and shakily stood up. Link came alert to the senses that bombarded him; the unmistakable scent of salt and sand, a cool breeze coming in from the open window and rustling his hair, the sun warming his face, the feel of hard wood under his feet and new pain shooting through his body. _Oh well._

Link became aware of a sweet melody drifting into the one-roomed house coming from outside. Deciding to investigate he stepped outside shading his eyes from the sudden dazzle of the sun with his arm.

            "Those really are nasty welts, Link." The song stopped. Link lowered his left arm and saw Marin sitting on the grass just outside the house. She had a small golden harp in one hand and was looking up at him smiling. Link looked down at the spiralling, fading scar on his arm.

            "It was worse when I found you," continued Marin, "The rope had dug into your skin, making it bleed. And it had gotten infected. It's possible that that was one of the reasons that contributed to your fever." Link noticed that she was much younger than he had first thought. About his own age, perhaps a tad older. Her eyes were sky-blue, unlike Zelda's deeper sapphire ones. Link put a hand on his hip and smiled weakly at Marin, "Thank you. For…saving me." She smiled brightly at him and stood up brushing down her skirt before looking up and taking Link's arm gingerly.

            "I'm glad you're better, Link. You should rest a while before doing anything. Some of your things washed up on the shore with you but I had to treat you first. And now I can't go and get them anymore," she said and gently let go of his arm. Link missed the touch.

            "Why is that?"

            "Well," Marin grew quiet and frowned, puzzled, "I don't know why… But…_monsters _ have been appearing lately. At first they only populated the Mysterious Forest in small numbers and the desert and swamp…But now they seem to be everywhere. After you washed up, loads of them started roaming the beach but their numbers have increased in all parts of Koholint Island. I don't know what's happening but it's frightening. People are trying not to panic…" 

            "_Monsters?_" exclaimed Link.

            "Yes! So now I can't get your sword."

            "_My sword? _Where is it? At the beach?" Link couldn't contain his relief. Marin nodded sadly. Link grinned for the first time since he left Hyrule which made Marin gasp and giggle merrily. She then seemed to remember something and pointed behind her to a large volcano shrouded in mist rising high over the Island. Something white glinted at the top of it.

            "What is that?" said Link squinting upwards and noticing the shiny object.

            "_That_," said Marin proudly, "is the Wind Fish's egg. Guardian of Koholint Island, he protects us all. He's been slumbering inside that egg for as long as we can remember. I pray to him every day…"  Link looked up at the thing topping the volcano which indeed _did _look like some massive egg. Ignoring the goose bumps he got from looking at the Wind Fish's resting place he steadied himself  on the wooden fence surrounding Marin's house. He still felt weak but he had to do _something_ before he died of boredom. He would go get his sword.

            "Marin, I think I'll retrieve my sword back and maybe then I can find out why so many monsters have been appearing on this island," said Link.

            "Oh no you won't!" said Marin crossing her arms defiantly and sizing Link up. Link raised his eyebrows surprised.

            "First of all, you're not strong enough yet," she said, "and second, how do you suppose you're going to go about wielding it when your sword hand is hurt?" 

Link blinked, taken aback. "Wha? But…how did you know I use my left arm for-"

            Marin snorted triumphantly, "your left hand is more calloused than your other one. I figured…" Link grinned sheepishly. 

            "Rest for a few days. It'll do you good. No point in over-exerting yourself." She grabbed Link's good arm and he let himself be led into the cool dark of the house.


	5. Mabe Village

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Story is.

**A/N: **A** BIG "**Thank you!" to all of the people who have reviewed my story! I really appreciate it, so I will be nice and try and finish this.

**Extra note to answer a question: **A fan fiction writer can write the Legend of Zelda games in any order he/she so wishes. But if you're a veteran Zelda fan you should know that there _is _a pre-determined chronological order for the Legend of Zelda series. Even though Link's Awakening _did _appear _before _Ocarina of Time, it's by no means the first in the series. According to Shigeru Miyamoto (god-creator of Zelda), Ocarina of Time is the first game, the first story, the first _part _to the Legend of Zelda series. So Link's Awakening, _realistically_, comes _AFTER _Ocarina of Time. Neat, eh? I'm just following the story quite closely as to how it really is. 

As for Marin-Zelda looking alike: In the actual _game_, in Link's Awakening, Link wakes up and _DOES_ mistake Marin for Zelda. Marin actually _does _say, "Zelda? No, my name's Marin!" Boot up the game and see for yourself. And in the official instruction booklet/manual of the game, it states that Marin looks eerily a lot like Zelda. Now this is where people get confused with the Marin/Malon thing. Malon and Marin _DO _look alike. More so than Marin akin to Zelda, actually. Even with the names, Marin and Tarin. Malon and Talon. Malon and Marin both have red hair. They both sing sweet melodies to Link (and teach him the melody). Technically, they're both _supposed _to be the same. If you're a Nintendo fan, you should know that it's a running in-game joke to include cameos of characters from other games. In this case it's Malon and Talon with a reference to Link's Awakening's Marin and Tarin, _not _the other way round. Because even though Ocarina of Time takes place _before_ Link's Awakening, it came out _AFTER _Link's Awakening, so OOT borrows from LA. Therefore there was no Malon to compare with Marin in the time of Link's Awakening. Confusing, eh?

**A note on chapter updates: **Other people may write new chapters in a day or even in a few hours. Unlike them I need inspiration to start writing something. I can say, "Right, I'm going to start the next chapter now!" and sit at a blank screen for hours. The word's won't come out smooth and freely and if I force them out they become awkward and jerky. When I have "inspiration" my mind can pick out words and vocabulary I never used before and place them seamlessly in the story, all wrapped up neatly in a compelling plot. I will try to update soon and more than once have I tried writing the next chapter as soon as I posted the last. But to no avail. I sit at my computer and, no…I realise I can't start. I've run out of juice and need a rest. Maybe I'll read something or be still and quiet for a while. But practise makes perfect. Unlike most writers out there I'm not used to writing stories, especially for an audience. Usually, the fantasies I've come up with can go on for a few days. But mostly, their lifespan is brief. I never even finish them. I've only ever finished a full-chaptered story, um, _once_. I don't have any pressure to keep going. I don't have any **_encouragement_**to keep going. Those stories were solely for my OWN entertainment. But now that I have a reason to keep writing I will do my best to update soon and write quickly. Meanwhile, please bear with me. I'm new to this. But thank you for pressuring me (sorta) as now I can get the writing exercise I sorely needed.

*~*~*

        ***         *         *         *         *         *         *         *         *         *         *                         *         *         *         *         *         *         *         *         ***

        Having been convinced by Marin that he wasn't going anywhere in his exhausted state, Link wandered Mabe Village aimlessly, basking in the warmth of the tropical weather. He had found a Telephone Booth that could only dial the number of a random old man he supposed was the one that sat alone, with a black telephone next to him, in his house with his wife sweeping fervently at an already spotless, clean floor. He had tried talking to them both but the old woman would only shout ecstatically at every swish of her broom and follow Link around, sweeping behind him with every step he took near her house in a mad frenzy. The old man, Ulrirahl, wouldn't even speak with him. He'd mumble something and ignore Link completely. Link, suspicious, decided to confirm his belief that it was that very same old man on the phone by peeking in through the window one day. To his amazement and mischievous delight, Ulrirahl was rocking back and forth in his rocking-chair and bellowing into the phone so loudly that Link felt sorry for the person on the receiver's end. Curious, he had entered the house later that day when the old man had inexplicably gone for something and picked up the phone to see who exactly Ulrirahl had been talking to. Only a "Bucket Mouse" answered him and  hung up as soon as he had informed Link that he had dialled the wrong number. Scratching his head, link left in search of other weird things.                                                                   

Madam Meow-Meow was no less eccentric. With her pompous figure and trio of dogs she was definitely an interesting character. She praised her dogs with religious pleasure and talked non-stop about the adventures her BowWow had when snapping playfully at innocent bystanders. Everyone in the village admired her dog. It was certainly…round. But paying no heed to its large build, it would bark incessantly at anyone who passed by and bounce about with insane dog-glee. The Madam kept a little puppy in her house which would yap at Link angrily whenever he entered the house. The other little BowWow was kept in a small storage hut by the house and it had the ability to speak. But Link was used to talking animals by now, as strange as it was. The little dog would ramble on about accessories and bows. She liked bows.                                                                                                                     

Farther up Madam Meow-Meow's home was a fisher man offering Link the chance to catch delicious fish, for a fee. Not having the taste, or the money, Link had to decline. The fisherman glowered at Link before returning to his fishing rod.                                                                         

Link found four identical boys scattered around the village. Their parents lived in the highest part of Mabe Village and the mother was forever fussing about with her baby and scolding her husband who lay lazily on the bed.                                                                                    

"I wish I had a toy to entertain her with!" commented the mother, exasperated, when the plump babe kicked and squealed with force unnatural. The father winked at Link and then quickly shut his eyes pretending to be asleep. Link soon left because the woman had started getting him to help her with the baby and the housework. Not thrilled about taking care of newborns or chores he excused himself hurriedly and from then on avoided that house like a plague. 

Link found Marin in the town square singing her sweet ballad to a small fox. Her flaming red hair danced upon her face as the breeze whispered by. Entranced, Link approached her slowly as if afraid she'd bolt like a frightened deer if she saw him. So he sat cross-legged in front of her and closed his eyes… _a black sky with white scudding clouds. A seagull crying. Sea. Sky. Seagull_…

"Link!" a startled jerk and Link found himself on the floor and Zelda...no, not Zelda, _Marin_, kneeling beside him looking down at him anxiously. "Link!" and then she laughed, relieved, "Link! You're allergic to my songs or something?"

Link sat up groaning, "Huh?" Marin smiled at him, "you- I found you on the floor in front of me... unconscious!"

"What?"

"Yeah, unconscious! You'd...fainted or something! I _told _you not to stay out in the sun for too long. You're not strong enough yet!"

Link frowned, "yeah...um...I dreamt-"

"What?" a twinkle of cerulean eyes.

"No, never mind," he said and hastily got up. Marin put a finger on her chin thoughtfully, getting up as well. She looked past him towards the north end of the village and narrowed her eyes. Link, looking at her, followed her gaze to where a large stone building stood coldly near the quadruplet's house. Link cocked his head questioningly.

"_That_," said Marin matter-of-factly, "is the _dream_ shrine."

"A shrine...for...dreams?" said Link unbelieving.

"Not _just _a shrine...It," she glanced sideways at him, "it shows you...things. It may well even give you a message. "

"Hmmm, all right....what kind of message?"

Marin shrugged, "That's a different story for everyone. We've all been there but we can never understand anything. Try it if you wish." Being an overly curious boy, Link nodded immediately and ran in the direction of the dream shrine, looking back at Marin and waving his thanks.

A rectangular, simplistic structure loomed over Link and it looked even more taller as it was on the highest part of the village as well as the sun being behind it thus casting the front in shadow. Link stepped inside and shivered. It was cold. And...empty? No, a single bed stood out solitarily in the corner of the darkened chamber. That was it. Link approached the bed warily. He had been used to harmless looking things not being at all what they looked like. _Trust your instincts. Nothing is what it appears to be. _The laws of a warrior. Simple yet crucial. Once near enough he poked the bed with the toe of his boot. Nothing. He neared and poked it with a finger. Nothing. Just a bed. Well it's a bed, so what are beds used for? Link got in gingerly and pulled the covers around himself. Shivering he closed his eyes. 

_Welcome to the pit of our fears! Fall, fall, fail..._

Link awoke with a start. He was sweating profusely and looking down realised he had tangled himself up in the covers. Deeply disturbed he got out quickly, arranged the covers as best he could and hurried out into the fading sunshine. Breathing in the scent of coconuts and hearing a wailing baby nearby he calmed himself. _Just a nightmare, just a nightmare..._

"Link!" Marin was climbing up the stairs daintily towards him, "Link! How'd you do? See anything interesting?" she looked up at him with her big, clear eyes. So different from the darkness...

"Y-yes?" he said. Marin imitated him by placing a hand on her hip and then she laughed merrily. 

"C'mon! You can tell me!" she fluttered her eyelashes teasingly, "did you get...a _message_?"

"I...just had a nightmare, that's all," he said. Marin looked shocked. She gasped and put a hand over her mouth.

"What??" cried Link, annoyed. He seemed so hopeless here. At least Hyrule was his homeland and he knew the gist of things there. Here he was so lost.

"That's the _dream_ shrine! You don't _get nightmares_ there!"

Angry, Link twisted his mouth. _So? I'm the one that bad things happen to. It's my destiny! All my life, all my _lives. _I shall be doomed forever. Evil follows me around wherever I go. Even subconsciously...Even in dreams..._

Marin put a hand on his shoulder sympathetically. She was surprised at how much she cared for Link. It was like she had known him forever. Like she had known he would come. In hopes? In wishes? In prayers? In dreams? Yet he had called her "Zelda", mistaking her for another woman- one she didn't know. Someone he loved? And more than once had he gazed upon her like she were another person. But what did it matter to her? She thought about Link's message in the dream shrine. It could only mean one thing and maybe she did know what it was about after all.

"Then go get your sword. I have been keeping you. But you are capable of getting it now. Go. You need it."


	6. The sword and its wielder

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, story is.

**Thanks: **Once again, thanks to everyone who review. Because of you I have the incentive to keep going! I kid you not. Nevertheless, whether you've reviewed once or never, I hope you enjoy my story as much as I do writing it! =)

_Shadow Link:_It is indeed an excellent game, it could arguably be one of the best Zelda games. Of course that comes down between OOT, LA and LTTP. As they're the best…. _Although_ I have to say I REALLY enjoyed MM but even _I _know how to judge fairly. So even if MM is my favourite (hmm, but that's not doing justice. I love ALL the Zelda games I've played. Just MM was different…) the former three can compete for the "masterpiece" Zelda. But…The GCN Zelda is promising to be amazing. Hmm, I got carried away… Anyway thank you, thank you, thank you, I'm flattered.

_Snowsilver:_Hey!! I cried too when I finished LA! I was kind of in an odd place when I finished….the kitchen at midnight… But I cried! The tears pricked at the corners of my eyes and then my sight blurred so I saw blurry clouds…um, yeah. I should replay it again sometime… it truly is an awesome game. It's so HUGE and involving… it really DOES feel like a living, breathing world. For a Gameboy game (yes it originally DID come out for the old Gameboy…but I played the colour version) it's absolutely breathtaking. Something squeezed in so small a cartridge can produce such a masterpiece that beats the socks off any "normal", giant RPG for bigger and more powerful consoles. I have to admit I hardly ever finish games… so my reaching the end of LA marks it as one of my favourite games since it kept me interested to keep going. I mean I usually get sentimental when I finish ANY game. Just like when I finish an excellent book I get so sad… because in some way it dies… But LA is different because for those of you've that have played, the ending is MORE than just a game ending… *sniff* Anyway I couldn't put that game down…I played on an airplane, on a beach, in the kitchen, in the bathroom (*cough* who doesn't?), in a family lunch, in random rooms, at school etc. I played and played until it was nothing but mush…er, until it was finished. ANYWAY (gosh, don't I write too much? If only I had this facility to write stories as I do in chatting…) there WILL be more humour in this story. In fact, I tried to make the last chapter more "light" but if you're looking for silly humour then that'll be a bit later in the story. I usually can only write humour when I'm inspired AND I'm in a good mood. Sadly, I've been kind of feeling…unwell lately so don't expect humour too soon.  But it WILL be here! 

_Girl with many names:_ Well I think I get what you're saying, ha ha. But I don't mind, I wasn't getting defensive in the last chapter but if it sounded like that then I didn't mean to…so sorry. I think your argument is very valid but I can't really see how I can be positively wrong. I mean no-one can prove anything so if you're interested I've tried to explain the origins of this story below… Well first of all I didn't really put LA _directly _after OOT. In the very first chapter of this story it says, "_It had been three years since Link had returned from Termina and he had been wandering saving other lands such as Holodrum and Labrynna._" Thus explaining LA comes after, at least, three more Zelda games. Termina (MM) DOES come directly after OOT so I put that there as it should be. The Oracle and Season games are not really specified where they're SUPPOSED to go. So I just improvised and put them there. When I first started writing this story I was daydreaming of writing stories for ALL 8 Zelda games but of course that's impossible. That explains why I have an OOT story (unfinished) written. But as for chronological order…it's all very tangled up and even Miyamoto himself isn't sure where all the games go. The Zelda games don't have one story that the creators have hidden in a dark safe and every once in a while pull out to look at and then use one section of the Legend of Zelda to turn into a game. The stories are churned out randomly. Sometimes some Zelda games DO come as prequels or sequels but that's to make it a continuing saga and so far they HAVE been able to fit them all in a tidy little order so that each game has its own special place in the "series". But LA is a complication. Shigeru Miyamoto himself stated that he wasn't sure where LA went into and so it's kind of dangling in limbo. It's just THERE, no-one can be really sure when exactly LA happens. Which is why it's so fun to play around with it! And as I said before, every fan fiction author is entitled to move the stories in any order they want. And now comes the messy matter of the "three Link theory". I was deeply sure that the Link's in all the games (except with some sequel/prequel ones- e.g. OOT and MM) were _different. _It's impossible for them to be the same Link and there are many good reasons to explain why there are three different Links in all the saga (or maybe more). _I _myself believe that there are three different Links. Once again going back to The Man, Miyamoto had said that there were different Links. Either the ancestors or descendants, but the Links were not the same. But then the official Nintendo web site began saying (after OOT or MM, or…can't remember but not too far back ago) that there was only ONE Link. I can't remember if Miyamoto agreed to this or supported it… but there began some EXTREMELY good theories explaining how Link is the same throughout the saga. Some were so good that I began doubting my belief. So of course I have my doubts but no-one can _really _prove now that Link in LA could be different from the Link in OOT. So yes, I agree that Link would have associated Marin with Malon but the point is that he _doesn't._ And sooooo, surprisingly, BOTH theories work. Of course it's more plausible if LA Link is different from OOT Link as Link wouldn't know who Malon was and so associate Zelda with Marin instead of with Malon. When I wrote this story I was under the influence of the "One Link Theory". Also when writing it I wasn't thinking of Malon. She's not such an important character in Link's OOT (or MM for that matter) so he has no reason to think of her as he's washed up on shore and looks upon Marin. And the fact that LA was made before OOT gives another excuse as to why I'm allowed to use ONE Link, the SAME Link from OOT even though a different Link would work better. LA can go after OOT but no Marin existed in LA Link's mind then. A kind of confusing paradox that even succeeds in annoying me. But if you concentrate hard enough you can see the sense of it. I'm kind of 'loop holing' around the reality. Yet it IS valid. Just that I'm using ONE Link to complicate things further but it still works. Somehow. Anyway I hope I could explain why I wrote Link as being the same from OOT… Maybe I only succeeded in confusing and irritating people with this load of drivel. But it's justifiable. This is using the One Link theory. I'm a Three Link theorist but I respect the One Link ones as they have good arguments. You'll be surprised if you ever get the chance to hear one of the more dedicated ones. They can REALLY turn your view. But anyway, thank you for your review and I'm glad you like this! 

_Heath 999, Stormcat2002, AtrusDent 007, Catz_bane, MEmyselfANDthatGuyoverThere:_ Thank you for your reviews! It is much appreciated.

**A/N: **Please forgive my horrible long thanks list! I'll try to not make it happen again! I've had an extremely busy week thus my shocking lack of updates. I wasn't happy with this chapter….oh well. But it's the longest yet! Har har har.  I'll try to update SOONER, next time! Forgive and forget!

*~*~*~*~*~*

* * *

***  
          
        He let the tropical breeze ruffle his hair as he sat on a cliff at the edge of Mabe Village that overlooked the beach, his feet dangling in the air. The sun was setting and as it dipped lower and lower into the horizon it cast a reddish, almost dreamy, glow over the village and the sand below him. A few bug-eyed monsters patrolled the shore below him, sniffing the air hungrily every once in a while for intruders. Link let his thoughts wander, stopping at every unimportant detail for a lazy rest. The island, the people, the egg, the gulls, the monsters, his sword, Marin…

It was all so different from Hyrule and yet…there was this tangible familiarity in the air all around him that he couldn't quite place.  But for all the mysteriousness this place emanated Link felt content. At last he was going to use his warrior soul again- his restlessness put to rest on this unknown island. 

The stars had come out now and were blinking in the sky brightly. The fat, red monsters below him, Link noted, were standing very still. _Most likely asleep_, he thought. He lifted up his left arm and saw that the marks had faded away almost completely so he flexed his hand to test for any remnant of pain. Nope, none. Link got up and surveyed the beach below him, checking for shortcuts, pitfalls and whatever might be of use to him before retrieving his sword. Satisfied, at last, Link turned and left the cliff side to look for the way into the beach. _Past the library, down the slope, climb down the high rocks, to your left until you see a sign_…

"_Beware of Sea Urchins! Don't touch them with your bare hands!" _Link read from an old, wooden sign, putting a hand on his hip. "Obviously…" Next to the wooden post was a large, black heaving thing with spikes protruding from all over its body. It quivered when it spied Link with its two white, lamp-like eyes but it didn't attack. Link thought that maybe it couldn't move. Not about to stay and investigate its movement patterns further, Link carefully stepped over the urchin and proceeded towards the shore. Dodging more insufferable urchins on the way, Link finally reached the place where he had supposedly washed ashore… He looked around the sand with what dim light the dotted stars gave off. Bits of wood, the cursed rope, metallic parts from the mast…but no sword. At that moment a cloud that had been blocking the moon drifted out of the way and a bright silver light spilled over the area. His eyes caught something at the far end as it glinted with the new moon. He edged closer to take a better look and yes, there it was, half-buried in the sand but it was, unmistakably, his sword. Link hefted it out of the soft sand and cradled the weapon in his arms. He traced the name that was engraved in the blade with happy fingers, "Link".

A flapping of wings, a rush of air and Link had whirled around, in his fighting stance; legs apart, slightly bent, both hands gripping his sword in front of himself and pointed ears alert for any sudden movement that could catch him unawares. But it was only a large owl that perched itself atop a palm tree, its shining yellow eyes intent on Link. Link sighed and relaxed visibly. He turned his back on the strange owl and dug around through more of the wreckage to see if his sword's sheath had survived. Sure enough, Link found a sandy, torn piece of cloth under the sand so he brushed the stony grit off as best he could before fastening what was left of it to his belt and sheathing his sword. At least, for now, he had a place to store his weapon. Link combed all that shore for any sign of his shield but to no avail. It must not have survived, then. Disappointed, link decided it was time to head back to get some rest, for now that he had his sword he could finally explore the rest of Koholint Island. Before he could go any further the owl had swooped down startling Link onto his back. Taken completely by surprise Link could only gape at the large, imposing owl that now stood heavily on his chest, preventing Link from making any defensive or offensive move to the bird at all. Link could do nothing except clench his teeth together and hope the feathered beast meant no harm. For a while the owl did not move but stood staring at Link straight in the eye. Link was sure the bird could feel his wild heart underneath its talons, so vulnerable and at the mercy of those long, thick claws. Wait a minute, birds didn't _think…_

"_So _you_ are the courageous lad destined to awaken the Wind Fish…_"

What? Who had spoken? Link could only hear his own heart thundering, deafeningly, in his ears. Then it dawned on him- the _owl._ As if hearing his thoughts the owl cocked its head to one side and stared sidelong at Link, finally hopping off his chest onto the sand beside him. Link's hand immediately went to his sword but a voice in his head stopped him.

"_Link, are you not?_"

Link's left hand was hovering over his sword's hilt, not quite touching it but reluctant to leave it too far out of his grasp.

_"Now I understand why so many monsters have appeared. It was your arrival that has triggered His wrath so He has duplicated his hideous army. He knows…_"

Link gulped down air, his heart calming a bit. He sat up and studied the bird beside him, its gaze still not wavering from Link. Who-? What was this bird? It could speak into Link's mind? And who was the owl talking about? Link briefly considering the passing thought of leaving this confusing island when the _owl _interrupted this train of thought.

"It is said that you cannot leave this island until you awaken the Wind Fish. Wake the Wind Fish and all the answers will be revealed!"

One last appraising look from unnerving, yellow eyes and the owl took off soundlessly not looking back once at the boy that lay sprawled on the sand, an arm flung over his face and a sword glinting in his left hand.

* * * *

Leave this island! You will only find darkness and death- leave this island while you still can! You will fall and you will fail…Hero of Time…

Link jerked awake with a loud yelp. Once again he found he was covered in cold sweat but this time he found his left hand clasped around the blade of his sword tightly. He slowly unclenched his hand leaving a dark stain on the steel. …_What?_ He tried closing his bloodied hand into a fist but winced in pain. Frowning in displeasure and pain he got up shakily. Where was he? Ah, the beach…Had he fallen asleep last night? Obviously, it would seem. He took a step forward but stumbled over something-  that _hurt!_ A black sea urchin was swelling proudly underneath Link's hand at having been able to hurt something. Link disposed of it in a clumsy slash with his sword in his right hand. _Damn monsters and damn himself for being so weak and careless! _The sword's sheath had not lasted long. Tattered as it had been it now lay in ripped shreds on the sand. _So much for littering…_ Link deduced that something had happened in his dream- or nightmare. Something so vivid that it had caused him to rip his sword out of its sheath and hold it the way he had been touching it. A _dream_ had done that? Link then remembered the mysterious owl. He placed a hand over his heart- the same place that the owl had stood on. A friend or foe? Should he believe the owl? Or…did he dream it all?

* * *

"Oh! _That _owl!" chirped Marin as she bandaged up Link's hand in the safe shelter of her house. Link winced. He must have been holding the blade really tightly…

"What, what owl?" said Link coming to his senses at the mention of the foul bird.

"The owl you were talking about! He's mysterious… and he lives in the Mysterious Forest of _course!_ Ah, there, all finished!" said Marin triumphantly as she pulled the bandage into one last, firm knot. Letting out a breath that Link hadn't even known he was holding, he nodded his thanks silently looking at the ground. _So weak…_

"Link?"

He looked up at Marin who had a worried frown on her face. Oh, did he drift off again?

"Yeah, sorry, Marin… I…where is this Mysterious Forest?" Marin didn't look convinced but she decided not to pry further. Link was still a big mystery to her but then again, she thought that whatever he had, or was going through, must  be something that she wouldn't understand. She'd never washed ashore a strange island before, now had she? Although she wished she had…

"It's to the North-West of Mabe Village. You can't miss it!" she said. Link nodded thankfully and bent his head to stare at the floor again, his golden locks covering his face. Marin's heart ached for him. This boy was her symbol of freedom. He had come from a different land, proving that Koholint Island wasn't the only thing in the world, in _her _world. There was life beyond these barred shores! It meant that Marin wasn't confined to this Island anymore – if someone could arrive here then you could also leave it, right? Marin craved for freedom, for new shores, for a dream come true. With these thoughts in mind, Marin quietly slipped out of the one-roomed house leaving Link to his daydreaming. 

* * *

Clutching his sword carefully in his bandaged left hand, Link stood thoughtfully in front of another wooden sign that this time confirmed the entrance to the Mysterious Forest. He entered the darkness warily. Trees everywhere choked any light that dared seep into the forest. And it was so quiet that the only thing Link could hear was his boots crunching noisily on the dried leaves below him and the suffocating smell of wet soil and lemon-smelling foliage encased his senses completely. He shivered. It was _too _peaceful. Wait, since when had he been afraid of the dark?

A rustling of leaves caught his attention at once. Link gripped his sword hard, ignoring the pain shooting up his arm. But what would come out of the bushes than a fat, furry beaver? Scoffing at his paranoia, Link sheathed his sword inside a soft leather case that Marin had given him after his return to her from the beach. Link walked up to the beaver but the animal didn't flinch. It stayed looking up at the green-clad boy with black, beady eyes and twitching its rather large, red nose. _Are _all _the animals in this island strange??_

Shrugging the creature's odd behaviour off Link continued onwards, behind the beaver. But as soon as he passed into the next area his head reeled and he fell to the ground, dizzy. Holding his head confused, Link got up and looked around. _What had happened?_ Everything seemed normal but the whole forest was the same, with the same trees and colour and smell. Blinking several times to push the sickly feeling away, Link followed the path until he reached a very familiar clearing…that had a very familiar beaver next to a bush. _What?! _Scratching his head Link passed the oddly similar beaver into the next area of the forest. Once again his mind spun and he dropped to the ground, clutching his head. Growling in frustration Link was beginning to understand. He got up and hurried into _another _clearing identical to the two previous ones, _AGAIN _with a beaver in the middle of it. Link stomped over to the animal, that he _swore _wore a smug grin on its ratty face. He knelt down in front of the creature and glared at it.

"What are you?" he said through gritted teeth. The beaver twitched and began cleaning its face with two small, pink paws. Link punched the ground next to him. This _thing _was somehow _changing _the route of the forest so that Link ended up in the same place and prevented him from continuing any farther! Mysterious Forest indeed… 

Not knowing what else to do he got up, glared at the nonchalant beaver one last time and left the clearing in search of maybe another way deeper into the forest. 

After what seemed like hours, he was _sure_ night had already descended but he couldn't tell with all these trees, Link came across two fierce moblins that towered over Link, snarling and dripping saliva in anticipation of maybe a tasty human snack. Link unsheathed his sword silently and held it in his left hand; his right hand curled into a fist need he defend himself since he had no shield. The pig-like creatures turned to each other and spoke in their garbled tongue before turning their hungry gaze back at Link who bounced from foot to foot on the same spot. The adrenaline was already rushing in his body and it felt like a life-time since had had battled any beast able to defend itself properly, much less attack. One of the moblins rushed forward suddenly with a roar and charged for Link. But he was ready of course. The monster swung its huge sword down in an arc but Link had already rolled under the creature, his smaller build an advantage for speed, and while the moblin recovered and realised he had missed his prey, Link had whirled around and stabbed the pig warrior from behind. The moblin shrieked horribly and fell to the ground heavily, sending a flurry of brown leaves into the air. Smirking, Link forgot himself in his little victory and failed to detect the other moblin who had snuck up behind him. Too late he ducked out of the way as a thick moblin sword pierced his shoulder. Knowing how to ignore pain in the midst of a battle, Link spun, his sword outstretched. Nothing could escape his legendary sword spin. The moblin stood paralysed as blood spurted from its stomach and then fell forward, its sword and shield slipping from its grasp. Breathing, Link plopped down and examined his shoulder. A dark stain was spreading there but even with all the pain, Link smiled. This was his life. How he had missed it! And he was right. He _did _need to hone his skills, they were rusty. What a wound the stupid moblin had induced! If Ganon was ever going to return, Link needed the practice. He was falling behind and this was a reality check. Too much slacking off was not in order. His body needed this kind of wake-up call, he knew, but he should remember to walk before he ran. If he fought anymore he'd be killed before he knew it. Better get used to the swing of things again.

Link had to leave the area, the stench of moblin's blood was getting to him. Stumbling away, Link found a small, secluded pond tucked away in the corner of some trees. _Water, at last!_ Link approached the pond when he felt a wave of peacefulness wash over him. He swayed on the spot, perplexed. _What…magic…?_

Link opened his eyes to find an ethereal lady, glimmering beautifully, floating on the water's surface before him. Link felt too peaceful to be surprised. The woman tilted her graceful head towards Link and once again he felt at peace and as if all his wounds were healed. He noticed, drowsily, that she had two glittering wings behind her, _a fairy?_. He let his eyelids slide shut, allowing her magic to work through his body. When Link opened his eyes again, she was gone. The water rippled almost melancholically. Coming once again to full wakefulness, Link turned to his shoulder and saw that, not only was the blood gone but, it didn't hurt at all anymore. Link ripped the bandage off his left hand and saw, delighted, that his wound there had also healed. Link grabbed his sword and slashed the air with fierce joy. He could finally fight properly, no holding back now. Link sheathed his sword once again and sat down on the grassy floor, next to the _fairy fountain_. He felt safe there and, for the first time since he had arrived upon Koholint Island, slept dreamlessly. 


	7. I got Sidetracked

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, story is.

**Important note:**Since this chapter is the longest yet and was updated rather quickly (being me the slow one and all…) there might not be new chapters so soon. They'll probably take longer to write out since I'll be really busy during this week and probably the rest of the others too. I DO have an annoying life I need to tend to…But I hope this LONG chapter meets the satisfied requirements. Due to the royal crappiness of computers and html, the dream/nightmare sequences will be between "~" instead of just italics…

**A/N: **Okay, _weird_ chapter (but LENGTHY! **Phew** I'm tired!) but I guess it didn't come out TOO bad. Right? Right? Anyway, enjoy and _review_! Since this will be the last update in a while, I'm expecting reviews when I get back to urge me onto the next chapter!****

_ Girl with many names:_ *falls over laughing* I actually _thought _about Kaepora Gaebora but in the end I was too lazy to include the owl that's supposedly a reincarnation of an ancient sage. Don't get me wrong, I know my facts as I'm sure you know yours. I just either forget to include them in the story, am too lazy to, or I just don't because sometimes they're not relevant enough to _be _included in the fic. In this case I was seriously thinking of making Link think back to Kaepora Gaebora… But it's kind of symbolic that he doesn't. Hyrule is pushed out of his mind on Koholint Island. He hasn't thought about Zelda in a while, eh? And when he _does _think of Ganon (a link to Hyrule) he's thinking of the evil that can also place itself as the evil on Koholint Island. I've included some obvious symbolism and some not so obvious- meant for those who really know their Zelda saga inside out. But you know what? I think it's cool that you notice this stuff! So if you're interested in debating about anything with me (I'm all up for it! I saw your e-mail but you seem better at picking out arguments than I am! So feel free to e-mail _me _about these things) then e-mail me at: forever_ambar@yahoo.com

**Rant: **Sometimes, the html in my fic doesn't work! Things that are meant to be in italics (like the dreams/nightmares) don't show up! Does anyone know why that is? *kicks computer*

* * * * *  *

+++++++

~~~

When Link woke up the first thing he noticed was that it was still dark. But that must have been because of the tall, dreary trees that refused to let the sun in. It was definitely daytime, though, since Link could see sprinkles of golden light on the floor that had managed to penetrate the stubborn, thick foliage. Breathing in the scent of the forest, Link got up and stretched luxuriously. He checked that he still carried his sword and then leant back on a tree trunk. He realised with certain clarity that he was starving. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning when he had sat down with Marin to have some fresh bananas and thirst-quenching coconut water. Damn, now he was even _more _hungry. He ambled over to the sparkling pond and splashed water onto his face. _That ought to wake me up for a while… _He felt a bit disappointed at not seeing the fairy again but made a note of where the fairy fountain was situated in case he ever needed to return.

*

He had been walking for _hours_! How big _was_ this Mysterious Forest anyway? He was sick to death of the gloomy atmosphere. He _needed _to see sunlight _now! _At that very moment, Link happened upon  daylight. _Oh._ Blinking at the momentary brightness he was caught off guard when a ball of flame hit him square in the chest, pushing all the air out of him. Link dimly heard someone cackling and looked up to see an old, shrouded woman laughing at his misfortune caused by the rather large monster fish that bobbed on a small lake to his right. The fish started spewing fireballs again so Link scrambled to his feet to evade the attacks. The mysterious woman had disappeared but that's when Link noticed a strange building on the other side of the area. Running over to the structure, to avoid being hit again, Link wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to enter the place. It was a massive, grey, dead tree trunk with a hollow caved out of it, for the door, and a human skull adorned the top of the entrance. _Inviting, _thought Link. 

"Come in, boy," came a withered voice from the dark of the building. Link shivered even in the sun. But the voice from inside beckoned him again and Link had no choice but to abide. The room was dark and the air was thick with smoke that burnt his throat and made his eyes water. A shadowy figure sat hunched behind a cauldron, stirring the insides of it slowly with an elongated, wooden spoon. The person lifted up their head to look at Link who was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. He felt the stare upon him and started fidgeting with the hilt of his sword. He couldn't see the woman's face because the room was practically pitch black.

"What are you afraid of, boy?" the hag drawled. Link searched the darkness for a face but found he could see nothing except the shadowed outlines and so he concentrated on the voice instead.

"I'm afraid of the dark," said Link truthfully. The soft sound of cold laughter reached Link's ear and he flinched at it.

"_You _have _nothing _to fear from the dark, my boy," said the witch. Link blinked as if that would dispel the darkness from the house. More quiet laughter ensued. Link was getting irritated and he was seriously considering bolting out the door before the good-for-nothing old woman began teasing him again. He took a step back and the sharp laughter cut short. 

"You're looking for the Guardian, aren't you, boy?" said the witch quickly. 

"I'm only looking for answers and I'm _not _a boy," said Link fully annoyed now. What did this old woman want from him? And _who _the hell was _the Guardian_? The hag scoffed smugly and stopped stirring the cauldron before her. It was dark but not dark enough to not see anything so Link had his sword ready when the witch stood up. She stayed still for a while, looking at Link, trying to figure him out, but not doing anything. 

"Your sword will not always save you, Link," she said in a strange voice. Link narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Never trust strangers who knew his name. The woman seemed to sense this and there was a flash of teeth; a crooked smile.

"Oh _you _may not like the dark, but _I _do. Your name is on your sword," she said. Link growled, not impressed.

"What do you want?" he said at last, patience crumbling. 

"I want to help you."

Now _that_ caught Link by surprise and he lowered his sword, confused. The witch sat back down again and began adding things to the solution in the cauldron in front of her and she seemed to have forgotten Link completely until she looked up again and said, "get me some magic mushrooms and I will help you further. Now go."

* * *

He had no idea why he should listen to the hag but nevertheless there he was, hands and knees on the floor of the forest searching for these so-called _magic mushrooms_. Starving, confused and annoyed he crawled around for a bit, still seeing no signs of _any _edible source. He was just giving up when he eyes fell upon the entrance to a cave, hidden deftly behind a wall of trees. Sighing, Link got up and investigated this new find further. He squeezed past the trees and saw that the black, gaping mouth really _was _a cave. Why hadn't he seen it before? With nothing else to lose, Link entered. 

It wasn't as dark as the witch's hut. He looked around and saw that the cave stretched into a sort of tunnel. He took one step forward but the floor beneath him groaned and shook. Startled, Link snatched his foot back and saw that the piece of floor he had stepped on had crumbled to reveal a small, bottomless hole. And the exit was far away, at the extreme end of the tunnel and now Link had to _run _all the long way and he had no idea how he was going to make it back and _curse _this island but he couldn't turn back now. He stamped his foot in exasperation and immediately regretted it. The floor below began cracking and rumbling ominously, bits of rock dancing on the vibrating ground. He hesitated briefly before he flew forward with all the speed he could muster, not even looking back once and trying not to stumble. The light at the end of the tunnel shone hopefully as Link ran for it. A thick crack spread across the floor before Link and he threw himself at the exit with all his force. He crashed painfully on the ground, wincing as the sword dug into his side. Link lay there for a while, trying to catch his breath when he was aware of heavy breathing around him.  A _moblin. _And not just _one _moblin but a whole group of them surrounding Link, sniffing at him curiously and hungrily. Great_, out of the frying pan and into the fire._ The bulkiest of them, probably the leader, approached Link warily and bent down to nudge the boy's body with a slobbering snout. Link immediately tensed and held his breath but didn't move from the position he was in. _Go away, go away, go away_, he thought frantically. The moblin leader continued its investigation with its nose like an unmannered dog. Link shut his eyes tightly and buried his face deeper into the ground. _Go away, go away, go away!_ The moblin finally stopped and seemed satisfied with Link. He shrieked at the others and they edged closer. Link couldn't possibly take out all these moblins, not when he was at a disadvantage in number, size and strength and not to mention that he was weak from lack of food all day and the exertion of his sprint through the tunnel. Suddenly a moblin yanked Link's hair back violently, revealing his scrunched-up face. Then a chorus of mumbled vowels from the monsters erupted through the group. _The human was alive! _The moblin leader parted through the crowd to Link who was now standing in the middle of the circle they had created around him, a sword in his hand and a determined look on his face. 

_That's it, come closer, all of you, _thought Link fiercely. These creatures were not completely stupid but were easy to anger. With that in mind, Link straightened and held out his right arm, palm facing up, and curled his fingers in a beckoning, mocking, gesture that said to the moblins, "_come get me"._ The pig-warriors roared with rage and rushed towards Link. That was exactly what Link wanted. Immediately he flung his sword back, arm outstretched, bent his knees to gain extra footing and _spun_. The first wave of moblins closing in on him fell, frothing blood from their mouths. The rest wouldn't fall for that manoeuvre again so he took his stance in the ring of fallen moblins around him. The moblin leader stood seething before Link but unable to move. This boy was obviously not as harmless as they had first thought. The leader grunted something to what remained of his moblin troop and Link saw, horrified, that some of the monsters had bows and were pulling back the strings with their arrows in place. _I have no shield to defend myself with! _

The leader smelt Link's fear and drank it in with drunken fervour. It pointed its heavy moblin sword at Link, smirking when the boy clutched his sword tighter. Link was so busy fearing the arrows that he failed to detect the two moblins creeping up behind him. The monsters pounced on Link, bearing him down with their superior weight while the other moblins bellowed in their loud, peculiar laughter. For the second time that day, Link's breath was pushed out of him and because of that his grip on his sword loosened and he dropped the only weapon he had. Link closed his eyes, defeated. If _moblins _could beat him, he _deserved _this. _How could the great Hero of Time…?_ Vaguely, Link felt his hands pulled roughly behind him and a rope being wound tightly around them. The two sneaky warrior-pigs gibbered something incomprehensible but they sounded very pleased with themselves.  Link was still face down on the ground while another set of moblins began tying his legs up. He felt _humiliated _and he felt his face burn in anger and defeat. When Link was tied satisfactorily the moblin leader made his way over to the young boy and hauled him up from the ground having Link dangle from his grasp before him. 

"Take you to Boss," snarled the moblin leader with greasy pleasure. Link bared his teeth like a trapped wild cat and struggled in the moblin's clutches. The rope bit into his exposed arms and legs painfully, causing Link to cringe. This amused the monsters and they cruelly laughed at him. His sword lay helpless on the floor but the moblins paid no heed to it as they neared the suspended, wriggling boy. Link still had his dignity and he kept it as he held his head up high and didn't flinch even when the moblin leader dropped him ungracefully to the ground. They all began to laugh again and Link's eyes were stinging but he didn't know from what. He made one last attempt at his imprisoning bonds but all that it earned him was a smack on the head with the flat of the moblin leader's sword and another round of moblin laughs. Link cried out from the sharp pain and in defeated shame. The moblin leader snorted triumphantly and placed a clawed hand on Link's head, forcing him to look at the pile of dead moblins next to them. Wild and undeterred, Link have a big _ha! _and spat on the ground. One moblin nearby shrieked in anger and raised its sword over Link's head ready to strike down. Link's eyes widened, _he had gone too far, his luck had ended and he had failed and fallen…_

The moblin brought its sword down but it was intercepted  with a loud clang by the moblin leader's own sword. He grunted something, obviously displeased, but turned to glare at Link. Link's heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he couldn't to breathe. The leader grabbed Link by the front of his shirt and started dragging him across the area and propped him up against a thick, gnarled tree. The moblin leader blurted something out to his group but they shook their heads and hurried over to where Link sat. The bulky pig-warrior snorted in disgust and gave some orders to the moblins around them. One of them stooped over Link and took off Link's rope from his legs while another held him still by the shoulders. The moblin then proceeded to tie Link to the tree trunk with that same rope and knotted it firmly at the back. The rope was so tight around Link that he choked on the lack of air. But the moblins had no mercy and burst out in gleeful squeals. Link just clenched his teeth together and turned his head away from the monsters. 

When night fell, the moblins finally grew tired of Link who was more amusement to them than they had ever had. They left him alone, tied to the tree, while they huddled together near a fire they had made on the other side of the area. And finally, Link's icy façade that he had put up all day, crumbled in defeat. He was _exhausted. _The smell of mushrooms wafted to him from the fire and his stomach growled in protest. Link saw his sword lying a few ways away from him – between himself and the foul, bloated moblins. Link stretched his leg out as far as he could but it was no use- his sword was too far from him. Movement in the shadows caught his eye and Link stiffened. Had that vengeful moblin come to finish off Link's life at last? But it wasn't a moblin. An _owl _sat on the branch of a tree but it was so dark that Link could only make out the outline and a pair of shining yellow eyes. The owl gave Link a scrutinizing stare, ruffling its feathers and twitching its head to one side. 

"Help me," Link whispered as loud as he could to the bird. The owl did not move and inch. _Help me!! _cried Link in his head, pushing as far forward as the rope allowed him to. Link twisted in his bonds but the friction of the rope hurt him. He now _officially _hated _rope_. The owl hooted quietly and lifted its great wings and took off. Link hung his head.

* * *

~ _You have failed and fallen! Now let the darkness swallow you; succumb to the pit of our nightmares…! ~_

"No!" yelled Link in his sleep. He let out a deep breath as he woke up to the dark dawn of the day and the humiliating reality he was facing. One moblin started, threw a sharp rock at Link, _missed_, and flopped down to sleep again, obviously annoyed at having been woken up. The rest of the monsters slumbered on, near the dead ashes of the fire. Link whimpered in overwhelming rage and despair. His eyes fell upon the sharp rock the moblin had thrown and immediately hope soared in his heart. _Maybe, just maybe…_ He reached a boot out to the rock and scraped it across to himself. He let all his weight fall to one side of his constricting bonds and  leant down near the rock, his fingers spread behind his back. A few twists and turns here and _there! _He had the rock snuggled safely between his hands behind himself. Link grinned in silent triumph. More light spilled across the area since the trees weren't so closely knit together here. _Oh no! _Link kept rubbing the rock to the rope tying his hands in frantic despair. _Hurry! _He felt the rope loosen around his hands but not enough to free them. He must have been making some noise because the same moblin that had thrown him the rock sat up groggily and eyed Link suspiciously. Link stopped what he was doing and glared back in return. The damn moblin shrieked in hideous laughter and woke up the rest of his companions. The moblin leader woke up and, remembering his captive, smirked evilly. He hushed the moblin racket and walked over to Link, sizing him up. Link pouted with dark, quiet rage. The monster said something to his group and they all snapped to attention. One moblin picked Link's sword up and strapped it to the belt around itself, nodding to the leader. The leader himself cut the rope that tied Link to the tree. Was this a trap? The pig-beast pulled Link into a standing position and shouted more orders to the rest. The rock still stayed hidden in the cup of Link's hands behind himself. 

"What will you do?" cried Link, despite himself. He doubted they would understand but something gleamed in the moblin leader's eye. 

"Take you to Boss," grunted the monster. He tugged at a lock of Link's hair, pulling him forward so that the moblin could bend down and growl something that the rest wouldn't hear.

"_Then_," said the moblin leader, accentuating it by curling a stumpy arm around Link's small waist, "I snack on you. Tasty human flesh." Link's mouth opened in silent denial and horror before he was pulled up from the ground and draped across the moblin's shoulder, its arm still around Link's waist to hold him down firmly. Link kicked wildly and screamed himself hoarse but the moblin had an iron grip and Link thought he would faint after two days without proper food. But he would survive, he'd been able to live without food for a week, he was used to living like that. But it wasn't _his_ food that worried him…

* * *

Link had long since dropped the rock on the way and stopped struggling, hopelessness and despair edging itself into his heart. They had marched across the Mysterious Forest with Link still lying helplessly on the moblin's broad shoulder for who knew how long.  Finally they emerged into the sunlight and Link welcomed the sun soaking into his back. The monsters seemed to shiver in the daylight and hurried their pace. Link heaved in quiet laughter. So these foul beasties had a weakness. The moblin leader felt Link's belittling tone and bristled indignantly but did nothing as he jogged underneath the burning sun. Link's body was already numb but he said or did nothing- it wouldn't help anyway. _What a way to die…you'd think that maybe drowning would be a more honourable way to end my life…_

Link was jolted awake when he hit the ground hard. He glared up at the moblin who loomed before him grinning evilly at his _prize. _

"We reach Boss _soon_," said the moblin leader and clasped its hands together in frightful delight, "can't wait! Can you?" The sun was dipping over the horizon making the sky glow a foreboding scarlet. 

"Oh yes, I can't wait," said Link with venom in his words, "to kill you." This amused the moblins greatly and they chortled haughtily. The bulky beast reached a clawed hand out to Link again but Link rolled out of the way and stumbled to his feet as best he could with his hands still tied behind his back. He looked just like a cat; hairs on end, hissing threateningly and death-glaring at all of them. Some moblins cocked back some arrows on their bows and aiming them at Link. Link considered his options carefully. He had no idea where he was  or how he was going to escape but by Farore he wasn't giving up without a fight. But when Link collapsed to the ground by the swift stroke of an arrow in his side, there was not much fight left in him at all. The last thing Link saw before the darkness claimed him was a furious squabble between the moblin and its leader. 

* * *

~_Getting tired yet? Leave this island! Leave and we will cause you no harm… leave, leave…~_

When Link came to he found that he was no longer tied up but there was an arrow protruding from his side. It must not have penetrated properly because he could move fairly well with not much pain. Or maybe he had grown used to the pain…? He was in a cell. And it was cold and empty and grey. Link hugged himself and shivered. _All good things came to an end, right? _He idly wondered how he had gotten himself in this mess. Oh _right! _Those _stupid _magic mushrooms! He should have killed all the moblins when he had a chance. Well, too late. Link shrugged almost nonchalantly. 

Something slid across the floor with a metallic sound and hit his boot. Link lifted up his head that had been resting between his drawn up knees and saw that the object was none other than his _own _sword.  _That _woke him up. Startled, Link stood up quickly but winced in pain at the arrow in his side. Across the room sat a humongous moblin, the biggest that Link had _ever _seen. Large, black fangs stuck out from its lower lip and two great horns poked out from its head. Not to mention the sharp claws on its hands and feet, it looked absolutely devilish. It was looking at Link and pacing that side of the room slowly. Link bent to retrieve his sword, careful of his side.  When Link had straightened, the _Boss _turned to him.

"You could have been dead by now, you know?" it sneered in a deep, rumbling voice. Breathing laboriously Link said nothing keeping his opponent fixed in a glare. Unruffled, the moblin boss continued.

"I could have killed you, you pitiful _human_," it said, "but He said you couldn't die. He said you _wouldn't _die. He said you were…_different_."

"Stop talking rubbish and tell me what you want so that I can get on with the drudging task of killing you!" blurt out Link. The Boss eyed him evenly.

It smirked. "_So. _They say you'll wake the Wind Fish?" Link froze. Everyone seemed to know while Link had barely began to understand his quest which just consisted of one simple aim: _wake the Wind Fish_. And _yet _this _strange and mundane _task seemed terribly important to everyone and _everything_ on the Island. And Link had not the foggiest idea what it was all about. Who or _what _in Hyrule was the Wind Fish and why was waking it up so important?

The moblin unsheathed its massive sword and gazed it at while speaking, "I will prove to Him that _you _are nothing. I don't know why you want to wake the Wind Fish but He doesn't want that to happen. Either you leave the Island or you die. He desires you gone whichever way!"

Before Link could reply the moblin was charging at full speed towards Link. No _way _was he going to defeat this foe with his mere strength or size, there were just too many disadvantages on Link's side. _Think, Link! Think… I have to use his power against him. Use his weight and speed against him…_  The moblin looked like a giant, mad bull. _That's it! _Before the moblin could ram Link against the wall he dodged nimbly out of the way and the Boss rushed past, colliding with the stone and falling, stunned, to the ground. Not waiting for the monster to recover, Link lifted his sword up over his head and slashed downwards with all the strength he could gather. It wasn't hard; all the humiliation, pain and anger he had gone through gave fire to the deadly stroke and the moblin Boss's skull shattered beneath his lethal administrations. A smug smile played on Link's lips. Finally, _finally_, he was _Link _again. He could feel the rush of battle subsiding in his blood and his heart fluttering back down again. He had to get out of there though so, sword in hand, Link limped out of the cell. 

Two pig-warriors and the moblin leader looked up in shock when Link emerged from his cell covered in blood. Groaning, Link tilted his sword carefully so as not to put too much weight on his wounded side. The other two beasts lunged at Link and he stabbed the both of them in one fluid movement. They fell at his feet, white eyes rolling back. Link flipped his sword back in defence mode since he had no shield to rely on. There was a mixture of fury and fear on the moblin leader's face as he faced the young boy. Link looked formidable in that stance with an ancient gleam in his eyes. The monster feint attacked Link and leapt back when Link managed to somehow slash shallowly at his chest. It had happened so fast. Link kept his strange, serious expression and his sword was flipped back again. With a pig-shriek, the moblin pushed with all its strength at Link and pinned him against a wall, its blade pressed against Link's exposed throat. The moblin leader laughed victoriously before its head lolled back and thudded onto the floor. Link made a disapproving noise in his throat and extracted his sword from the moblin's neck. _Too easy. _He tipped the body over and exited the moblin's hideout. _Freedom! _And he thought his heart would burst from relief. 

A loud bark caught Link's attention. Behind the hideout was Madam Meow Meow's dog tied up to a small wooden stump hammered into the ground. Definitely surprised, Link freed the bouncy dog. It bounded gleefully on top of Link and promptly began licking his face happily. Link giggled under the friendly assault and managed to push the dog off himself and took hold of the chains tied around the animal. Bow Wow darted forward, pulling Link behind him as it splashed into the nearby swamp. Probably as hungry as Link, the dog started bouncing around and began gobbling up the carnivorous plants that infested Goponga Swamp. Link made a face as he waded through the swamp after the overly-hyper dog. He was covered in blood and _now _dirty water. He placed a tentative finger on the arrow still stuck into his side but pried no further as unimaginable pain shot through him. Bow Wow scampered back to Link who was now standing very still, a look of concentration on his face. The dog nudged Link's leg playfully and then ran around in a circle without stopping. Link couldn't help but laugh as the dog tripped into the water and blamed it on a plant as it was slowly ripped to shreds by the animal's sharp canine teeth. To Link's amazement a cave entrance was revealed when Bow Wow finished stripping off the plants. But Link was in no mood to investigate anything. All he wanted was food and _rest_ and the only way anywhere was back into the Mysterious Forest. Suppressing a groan he gathered up Bow Wow's chain and proceeded to lead him in the direction of the forest.

The darkness in the Mysterious Forest was still disconcerting and Link kept Bow Wow close to him. The size of the dog made Link feel safer, not to mention its unwavering, cheerful personality. It might have been luck or maybe the squeezing hunger of the animal but soon after entering the forest Bow Wow dropped a magic mushroom into Link's lap who had sat down to rest and examine the arrow. Link blinked dully at the red mushroom before making a frustrated sound. _Typical. Just typical. How wonderfully ironic for me. _The dog thought Link would be happy but seeing Link's look of displeasure it whimpered and sat a ways from the boy. Link sighed and called Bow Wow over. The dog happily obliged and grumbled in pleasure as Link scratched distractedly behind one of its ears. Link pulled Bow Wow up with a gentle jerk of the chain and made his way to where he had stumbled upon the witch, mushroom in hand. 

* * *

When the witch saw Link as he dragged himself over, a hyperactive dog with him, she shook her head, bemused. She gently took the dog's chains from him and tied it up outside while she ushered the boy inside her hut. Inside, the witch sat Link down on the bed at the end of the room and took the red mushroom he had been holding. She plopped the vegetable into her smoking cauldron and began stirring it with her long spoon. She glanced at Link, askance, as his eyes started drooping shut, a hand lingering near an area on his side. 

"I only sent you for a magic mushroom, not to go fight a horde of monsters," she chuckled. A shadow crossed Link's face but it might have been from the candle she had put up beforehand. 

"I got," he said slowly, "_sidetracked._" And glared at nothing in particular. The witch murmured an agreement. She left the pot since now all she had to do was wait and hobbled over to Link who didn't even bother to look up at her, his mind seemingly somewhere else. She snapped her fingers in front of his face, bringing him sharply back to reality.

"Lie down," she commanded. Link shot her a suspicious look but she repeated herself with a tone that left room for no argument. The hag began inspecting his side only to find a wound that oozed blood when Link's hand was removed. 

"I…" began Link when her silence questioned for her, "got hit by an arrow…and I just pulled it out a few hours ago…" The old woman shook her head, displeased.

"No wonder you're so weak now, boy!" she said swatting at his arm softly but reproachfully. Link stared back up at the shadowed ceiling. 

"It'll take a while to fix this," she said, "but it won't take too long and I'll have you all patched up in no time." She began stripping some bandages methodically and as she did this she smiled wryly.

"Although you _would _rather a young, pretty maiden do it, heh?" she said knowingly. Link turned to her quickly, heat rising to his face and gave her a long quizzical look. 

"Don't give me that innocent look!" she cackled as she pointed at his clothes and told him to take them off. Link's face was as red as the flame that flickered in the room and gave her a hard stare.

"You can't expect me to bandage you up with clothes on and all?" still getting no response from the young lad she continued, "I _could_ get a pretty lass to come in and do it if you like…" Link's mouth tightened in indignation.

"But I wouldn't want you to bleed to death while I fetched her, now would I? So face it, boy. Either you can leave and search for aid elsewhere or allow me to help." Link briefly hesitated before trying to pull his tunic over his head but the pain in his side making it hard. The witch exhaled, exasperated. "Slow boy," she said and yanked the tunic over his head rather roughly and placed it neatly at the foot of the bed. Link lay still and shivering, his face dark with colour. The witch's lips quirked upward in an amused smile. Link shifted uncomfortably under the stare and wondered if his sword that was propped up against the door might be too far to reach from the bed. Probably.

"You can snuggle under the covers if you _wish_," said the hag rolling her eyes, "but leave your abdomen exposed. That's where I need to tend to." Link didn't hesitate with _that _offer and in a flash he had the blankets covering the lower half of his body. Link thought he heard a grumble about getting the bed bloodied. The witch began applying some sort of salve onto the wound that smelled suspiciously like the magic mushroom he had picked up. The smell was making him sleepy and he drifted off to sleep while the witch began wounding the bandage around his waist with precise efficiency. 

* * *


End file.
